


The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

by katayla



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2013-12-24
Packaged: 2018-01-05 21:39:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1098876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katayla/pseuds/katayla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dora and Davy have a new teacher.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Valancy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valancy/gifts).



> Thanks for the amazing prompt!

"I'm not going to school!" Davy shouted for the third time that morning.

Dora waited patiently by the door while Marilla and Mrs. Lynde argued with Davy. She knew Davy would agree in the end. He always made a fuss and he always gave in. She didn't know why he bothered.

She missed Anne, but she liked Miss Andrews. Sometimes Anne had her over and Miss Andrews always behaved so prettily. And, last time, when everyone else paid attention to Davy, Jane sat by Dora and asked to see the sampler she had started and showed her some new stitches.

"Fine!" Davy yelled. "I will go to school, but I won't like it!"

He stormed out the door and Dora followed. Davy was already down the road, kicking at the dirt.

"You're going to get your shoes dirty," Dora said, once she caught up.

"Don't care."

"Don't you want Miss Andrews to like you?" Dora asked.

"Don't care." He kicked a rock and ran up to it and kicked it again.

Davy could say things like that. Everyone liked him, even though he never did what he should.

By the time they got to school, Davy's pants were all dusty and his new shoes were all scuffed up. Dora looked down at herself to make sure she still looked neat and clean. She'd checked her dress first thing in the morning, to make sure Mrs. Lynde remembered to iron it.

Inside the classroom, Davy ran to the front, but Dora stood quietly by the door. She wanted to sit down, but she didn't know how Miss Andrews would assign the seats.

Everyone was so loud. If only Miss Andrews would arrive so that they could get started.

When Miss Andrews walked in, Dora let out a sigh. She was so neat and pretty. Anne was pretty, but her hair would escape from the top of her head and her clothes would get all messed up. Miss Andrews looked like she was always perfectly dressed.

"Good morning, Dora."

"Good morning, Miss Andrews," Dora said, her eyes shining.

*

"And how was school today?" Marilla asked.

"I hate Miss Andrews!" Davy said.

"Don't say 'hate'," Mrs. Lynde said. "Jane is a very nice girl."

"She wouldn't answer any of my questions!"

Anne would always stop class to answer questions and distract everyone from what they were supposed to be learning, but Miss Andrews told Davy and everyone else that now wasn't the proper time for questions.

"I'm sure she's a fine teacher," Marilla said.

Davy pushed his peas across his plate into his mashed potatoes.

"Davy, don't play with your food," Marilla said.

"I'm not hungry." Davy let out a big sigh.

Mrs. Lynde and Marilla exchanged a glance. Dora knew what they were thinking. Davy missed Anne and they wouldn't make him eat dinner. Dora always ate her dinner and they never cared.

After dinner, Dora helped wash the dishes while Marilla and Mrs. Lynde talked about Davy.

"It will do him good to have a teacher like Jane," Mrs. Lynde said. "I'm sure Anne indulged him dreadfully at school."

Marilla sighed. "The school children did love Anne so."

"Jane's on the Inspector's Roll of Honor."

"Oh, I'm sure she'll teach the children everything they need to know. But Anne . . . " Marilla's voice trailed off.

Now that Anne was away at college, Marilla acted as if she could do no wrong, but Dora knew Anne had had just as many misadventures as Davy did. It wasn't fair. Dora worked so hard to be good and no one cared.

If she were Davy, she would smash the dishes. If she were Anne, she would make up a story. Once, Dora heard Anne say that Jane had no imagination. Maybe that was her problem, too. She couldn't even imagine herself doing it.

So she finished washing the dishes, carefully dried and put everything away and told Marilla and Mrs. Lynde good-night.

*

Miss Andrews told Dora good morning the next day, too. And the day after that.

On the fourth day, Dora walked up to Miss Andrews's desk during lunch.

Miss Andrews smiled at her. "Hello Dora. Can I help you with something?"

"Do you--Can I--" Dora blushed. "May I help you clean the blackboards after school?"

"That would be a wonderful help," Miss Andrews said. "Thank you, Dora."

After school, Miss Andrews showed Dora how to wash the blackboards. While Dora worked, Miss Andrews sat at her desk, going through papers. Everyone else had left school as quickly as possible, so it was nice and quiet.

It reminded Dora of the best times with her mother. She would sit by her mother's bed and try to teach herself how to knit and her mother would smile at her and, when she felt okay, helped Dora with her knitting needles. Dora had almost finished a scarf when her mother died.

When she finished, Dora stood quietly by Miss Andrews's desk.

"All finished?"

"Yes, Miss Andrews."

Miss Andrews turned to look at the board. "Why, Dora, you did a wonderful job."

"Thank you."

Miss Andrews looked at her for a long moment. "Dora, how would you like to stay after school sometimes and help me clean?"

"Yes, Miss Andrews!"

*

"I don't know why you stay after school every day," Davy said a few months later.

"It's not every day," Dora said. "And I like Miss Andrews. She likes me."

Davy made a face. "She's so boring."

And he ran off before Dora could defend their teacher.

Dora walked quietly and thought about what Miss Andrews said the other day.

"Dora, don't you ever let anyone call you boring. You're a hard worker and a good person."

"But Davy--" And Dora's hand flew over her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that. She loved her brother.

Miss Andrews smiled, but her eyes seemed sad. "It's all right, Dora. Some people seem to grab up all the attention, don't they?"

Dora looked down at her feet and thought about Davy. Thought about how it had been since they got to Avonlea.

"But we'll find a place in the world, too."

"You think so?" Dora asked and she held Miss Andrews's gaze. Her teacher wouldn't lie to her.

"I hope so."

Dora hoped so, too.


End file.
